Conepatus leuconotus leuconotus
eastern hog-nosed skunk

The Eastern hog-nosed skunk is found only in the southeastern part of Texas and eastern Mexico. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

This skunk has been found in a wide range of habitats including forests, grasslands, mountainsides, coastal plains, tropical areas, cacti and thorny brush areas, and even cornfields. The animal lives in a den located in a hollow log, among rocks, or in a burrow made by another animal. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999; Gray, 1837)

The Eastern hog-nosed skunk is the largest of all skunks in North America. The skunk looks similar to its close relative, the Western hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus leuconotus), with a few exceptions. Conepatus leuconotus is about 25% larger than C. leuconotus. The dorsal white stripe is much narrower or even absent near the end of the top of the tail of C. leuconotus. On the underside of the tail, C. leuconotus is mostly black with a white tip, while the tail of C. leuconotus is mostly white.

In general, Conepatus has the coarsest fur of all skunks. The body is predominantly black with only a single white stripe on the back and tail. Unlike other skunks, hog-nosed skunks do not have a white dot or bar near the eyes. Also unique to hog-nosed skunks is the nose, which resembles that of a little pig in that it is wide, long and protruding, and naked.

Conepatus leuconotus has a larger body and shorter tail than other skunks. Total body length is generally 70 to 80 cm, and tail length is about 20 to 41 cm. The animal usually weighs between 2 and 4.5 kg. The females have three pairs of mammae. The dental formula is the same as C. leuconotus, (I 3/3, C 1/1, P 2/3, M 1/2 =32). As in other skunks, this skunk has an anal scent gland. (Lichtenstein, online; Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999; Gray, 1837)

In captivity the animal has been known to live seven to eight years. (Lichtenstein, online; Kruska, 1990)

Not much is known about C. leuconotus because it has been rather hard to find the wild.

This skunk is more solitary than are most other skunks and hunts mostly at night. It winters in its dens alone, or rarely with one other skunk. (Lichtenstein, online; Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

This skunk eats primarily insects. It pounces on bugs on the surface or it may dig for larvae and beetles with its claws. If insects are not plentiful, these skunks are able find and eat fruits and small vertebrates. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

These animals mainly fend off predators by temporarily blinding their attacker with powerfully scented musk from their anal glands. Many animals learn to stay away from the black and white warning colors of the skunk's fur. (Kruska, 1990)

The skunks overturn earth while digging for food and mix up the soil. Also, since they eat a lot of insects, especially harmful crop-eating insects, they help keep insect levels low. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

These skunks carry rabies that can be transmitted to humans or their pets. Also, if a human does get sprayed, the smell can be a lingering nuisance. (Aranda & Lopez-de Buen, 1999)

The skunk eats crop-eating bugs to save agricultural products. Hog-nosed skunks try to avoid human contact so there is less a threat of being sprayed. Although their fur is coarse, some animals are trapped for fur in Texas. Also, the skunks turn up lots of new earth. (Gray, 1837; Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

This species is being watched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. There is talk of putting this skunk on the endangered species list. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)

The animal has not been sighted since 1966. Much of the behavioral information on these skunks has been taken from assumptions of close relatedness to C. leuconotus.

Conepatus leuconotus is so closely related to C. leuconotus that it is believed by some researchers that the two species are actually the same. Their geographic isolation is one of the main reasons they are considered to be separate species. (Dragoo & Honeycutt, 1999)